Fantasy Baseball 2019 Rankings: Highlighting Top Prospects to Target
March 26, 2019
Some of the best players to take in your fantasy baseball drafts reside far down the positional rankings.
Although there are a handful of top prospects ready to make an impact throughout the 2019 Major League Baseball season, they aren't sitting atop fantasy rankings just yet.
Because of that, some of the best young players in the sport could be available in the latter rounds of your draft, or on the waiver wire if no one is smart enough to pick them up.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the top prospect to watch, but he won't see the majors right away, as he dealt with a knee injury in spring training.
Below is a look at a few prospects to target right away in order to help your fantasy team earn the best possible result.
Top Prospects To Target
Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox
Any doubts that Eloy Jimenez wouldn't start the 2019 season in the majors were erased when he signed a six-year extension with the Chicago White Sox last week.
The deal is the biggest for a player with no service time in MLB, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Passan.
Given the recent investment in the outfielder's skill set, it makes zero sense for the White Sox to keep the 22-year-old down in the minor leagues for the first few weeks of the season.
In 108 games at Double-A and Triple-A a year ago, Jimenez hit 22 home runs, drove in 75 runs and only struck out 69 times in 456 plate appearances.
MLB.com's Mike Rosenbaum noted his elite combination of hitting ability and power as one of the many reasons why he should be considered in all fantasy leagues.
In addition to the power numbers he put up a year ago, Jimenez recorded 140 hits and 28 doubles with the White Sox's minor league affiliates.
Since he's not just a power hitter, the Dominican should be a nice addition to fantasy lineups, as he's expected to be efficient at the plate at the major league level by putting the ball in play and keeping his strikeout total low.
Since he's ranked 36th among outfielders in Yahoo's positional rankings, Jimenez should be available as either an early-round risk or a middle-round steal as other owners focus on more experienced players.
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres
If Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn't begin the season on the San Diego Padres roster, it will only be a matter of time before he cracks the squad.
A decision regarding the 20-year-old's starting spot for the 2019 season is still to be determined, but the shortstop believes he's ready for the majors despite not having a plate appearance above Double-A, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer.
"I feel like I'm ready," Tatis said. "I feel like I'm ready to go. I don't know. We'll see what it's going to be. I'm not saying everything is going to be 100 percent perfect right away. In this game, you learn every day and you just make adjustments."
In 88 games for Double-A San Antonio in 2018, he recorded 101 hits, 22 doubles, 16 home runs and knocked in 43 runs.
Tatis, who is 33rd in Yahoo's shortstop rankings, should start the season with the Padres given how dynamic he can be in the club's lineup.
The Dominican should also benefit from the experience of Manny Machado, who would start on the left side of the infield alongside him.
The only thing standing in the way of Tatis starting the season on the San Diego roster is his contract, as the franchise might want to wait a few weeks to bring him up in order to have an extra year of control over the shortstop.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.